What You Can Send in a Balikbayan Box, Part 1

At Metrobox, we’re always asked by customers about what items they can send in a balikbayan box. There’s a whole lot of ground to cover in answering this question and we’ll break it down for you in the next series of blogs. We’re talking general terms here, and so if you have specific questions or need clarification, feel free to contact us either at our Hayward or Santa Fe Springs offices.

That said, let’s take this time to focus in on and go over what the Bureau of Customs and the Philippine government deems generally acceptable, and what they consider special items (with special provisions).

The following general acceptable items are the ones that you may be familiar with. Note that the Bureau of Customs consider all balikbayan box contents as personal items.

Generally acceptable items include:

Clothing and shoes

Textiles and samples

Small furniture – like a small drawer or jewelry box; make sure that these items are well-packed, especially for items that are easily breakable such as glass and ceramic.

Non-perishable grocery items that are canned and/or vacuum-sealed and packed

Books and periodicals (magazines and journals)

Documents (with or without commercial value)

Toys – make sure that the batteries and the toys are packed separately

The following items fall under special items with special provisions. What we mean about special provisions are when these acceptable products are packed appropriately and it a certain way inside the balikbayan box, so that we’ll be able to send your shipment to your loved ones without delays at customs.

There you have it. We hope we’ve given you, thus far, some ideas on what you can send in a balikbayan box and how to pack them.

If anything else, three takeaways to keep in mind: 1) pack your items in their original packaging, when possible, in order to prevent damage during shipment. Televisions,desktops, plates, and wine goblets are great examples of these; 2) secure and seal the tops and covers of liquids with tape, especially those covers and tops that you press down or flip up; and 3) when in doubt, call us. It never hurts to be sure.

Stay tuned for our next segment. Mabuhay!

Metro Box Cargo is a freight forwarding services company established in 2013 with two main offices/warehouses in the United States – in Hayward (northern California) and in Santa Fe Springs (southern CA), and one office/warehouse in Teachers Village in Quezon City in the Philippines.

Founded by Egay Tajonera, and his wife Mabelle, they are passionate in providing exceptional service to the Filipino community. Our company provides personalized, reliable, on-time customized door to door service for balikbayan boxes, container shipments, loose cargo, and odd-sizes shipments. We also offer vehicle shipping services for cars and motorcycles.

Our friendly and helpful staff, as well as our authorized agents, are available to assist you and answer questions you may have. Feel free to call or stop by our two main offices/warehouses, or at our six drop-off locations which can be found inside Island Pacific stores. Visit our website at www.metroboxcargo.com for more details.